Unemployment
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Articles on unemployment.
Unemployment can be defined away
(Mar 08, 2012) The definition of employment and unemployment differs from country to country. A comparative historical perspective shows the political context - how the problem is presented and how its constituent parts change - steers our understanding and that the standard views of employment no longer are relevant in countries like the US or France, examples which social historian Noel Whiteside has been looking at.
OECD: health sector Finland’s problem
(Feb 09, 2012) The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s economic survey of Finland shows the country has done well during the debt crisis which has hit many Eurozone members. The country is not facing any imminent crisis, but needs a comprehensive reform of the state health sector.
ILO warns of global employment crisis
(Jan 25, 2012) The economic crisis which began in 2008 has turned into a global employment crisis. 27 million people have become unemployed since the start of the downturn. 400 million jobs must be created in the next decade in order to keep up with an increasing global population.
Focus on the working ability of people with disabilities
(Dec 12, 2011) A new Danish campaign aims to get more people with disabilities into work by getting job centres, businesses and people with disabilities themselves to look for opportunities rather than obstacles.
Island’s Gudbjartur Hannesson puts people’s welfare first during the crisis
(Sep 07, 2011) We have learnt that a state welfare system is immensely important and a prerequisite for a healthy working life, says Island’s Minister for Welfare Gudbjartur Hannesson. That is why protecting our welfare system has been given top priority during the crisis.
Riots highlight Manchester’s unemployed underclass
(Sep 07, 2011) What made hundreds of youths run amok in Manchester and other UK cities in August? Debate has been fierce in the weeks following riots that cost five lives and millions of Pounds in damages. The political right blames a moral collapse, the left blames budget cuts and social deprivation. In Manchester the riots have led to a renewed focus on the large and growing gap between the rich and poor.
Nokia's scraps mobile ecosystem in fight to survive
(May 02, 2011) Nokia is shedding thousands of staff world-wide - the equivalent of one in ten workers within its mobile telephone business. The move is part of Nokia's attempt to remain in profit and improve the growth outlook within a completely new technological ecosystem.
Finland's Anni Sinnemäki: passionate about an individually tailored welfare system
(Aug 31, 2010) Finland's Minister of Labour wants to make individuals visible. Young people should not be seen as a uniform group but as separate people with different needs. In Finland a lot of time has been spent analysing each person's situation, and as a result, she says, the state can offer more rational measures tailored to the individual's needs.
Sweden's Södertälje: a public-private solution to immigrant challenges
(Aug 31, 2010) Södertälje in Sweden has more than 40 percent immigrants of foreign heritage. For some years the municipality received more refugees from war-ravaged Iraq than the USA and Canada combined, so it's had its share of challenges when it comes to jobs, accommodation and traditional solutions. The result: extensive co-operation between municipality and businesses, with input from trade unions.
Denmark's massive bid for youth employment and education
(Jul 01, 2010) Fighting youth unemployment is a top priority in Denmark. A range of new measures are in place to get more young people into education.
Iceland's 0utdated benefit system
(Jul 01, 2010) The Icelandic Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, used her National Day speech to point out that most households were still struggling with the fallout of the 2008 economic collapse.
Italy's young hope to work before they're old
(Jul 01, 2010) The path from higher education to a steady job is particularly painful in Italy. Many quit their studies or end up in long-term unemployment at the end of their studies. Teacher Francesca Seguela is happy to have a few hours of summer work after spending months unemployed.
OECD: Urgent measures needed to fight youth unemployment
(Jul 01, 2010) Youth unemployment is rising dramatically and the trend is set to continue in 2011 according to the OECD. At the G20 meeting of labour ministers Stefano Scarpetta encouraged governments to act immediately. The first thing to do, he said, is to make sure youths have something to live off while they're unemployed.
The hidden costs of youth unemployment
(Jul 01, 2010) Youth unemployment creates scars which follow people for the rest of their lives. One of the hidden costs of being unemployed when you're young is that decades later you take home less money than those who weren't unemployed when they were young. There is also the higher risk of becoming unemployed again, and many unemployed youths become marginalised with no links to work or school.
Red cabinet member - impatient in the long run
(Jun 30, 2010) Audun Lysbakken swears that it is he - and not the media - who will set the agenda for his ministry's work. That means working on long-term, preventative measures to avoid people becoming social outsiders - results of which will not show up on statistics for another 10 to 15 years.
Youth, unemployment and new thinking
(Sep 22, 2009) New thinking is needed if the young generation is to secure the older generation of the future. Youth unemployment is on the rise and is forecasted to continue growing in 2010. For many there is real danger of permanent unemployment. Nordic Labour Journal takes a look at how unemployment affects Nordic youths. We visit Finland's new university of innovation and the Swedish industrial city of Västerås where new thinking is very much on the agenda.
Downturn hits youth hardest - Sweden takes undesirable lead
(Sep 21, 2009) An economic downturn often hits young people fastest and hardest. The current crisis is no exception. The Nordic countries usually boast some of Europe's lowest unemployment figures. Now 27.3 percent of Swedish 15 to 24 year-olds are out of work.
Pay cuts - a shortsighted strategy
(Aug 19, 2009) With the economic downturn unemployment has become a real threat to Nordic workers. Many are prepared to stretch far to keep their jobs, including taking voluntary pay cuts. But pay cuts do not necessarily solve a business' problems, and could prove to be a bottomless pool.
Head-hunters to help Longterm Unemployed
(Jun 01, 2001) Expert group proposes new models to meet labour market demands: “We believe that improving the function of the labour market and ensuring the availability of labour will be key factors in the next few years. This policy line includes the provision of some additional services for more hard-to-place applicants by ‘head-hunters’,” says Heikki Räisänen, an advicer at the Finnish Ministry of Labour in charge of the expert group who put forward the proposal on further developing the Labour Market Policy reform of 1998.
